Thursday, June 30, 2011

Sorry for being super MIA! I put this outfit together and shot it a long time ago, but I have been so preoccupied with summer school and youth group camp preparations that I have been neglecting my blog. No worries though, I have a lot more posts and outfits planned so hopefully July can go a lot smoother.

Lately, I have been wearing a lot more monotone colors. I feel like my style is a lot more relaxed now that I am back in school yet in a difference pacing with my life. So here is my little simple outfit which I tried to spice up with clunky jewelry. I paired a black Forever21 ruffled dress ($13) with a cropped gray floral shirt (also from F21 owned by Kelly) to give it a more spunky and playful feel yet still keep the outfit subtle. I was going for the more mature look yet still keep it youthful. Sorry for this rushed post, I'm late to my Transformers date with Debbie! Hope you all enjoy a wonderful July 4th weekend with your family and friends. Stay safe! (from the heat :P)-Ai Nhu

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

I have been feeling extremely happy lately for some reason. I guess the weather has relatively been getting better and there's a lot of fun things to look forward to this summer. Although I have work and summer school, I have camps with my youth group as well as random outings with my friends and family. I feel like now that I have more free time due to the summer, I was able to hang out with my parents more, and I guess that's why my mood has been up. I mean, they are my best friends and pretty cool roomates (free food, laundry service, and tons of laughter)!

I put this look together on Memorial Day when I came over to Kelly's to barbeque with her family and got icecream afterwards. It was extremely hot outside, and before any of you think that I'm super crazy for wearing long-sleeve, I guarantee you this shirt is super sheer and comfy and it also helps balance out the leg exposure. The highlight has to be my new SHOES! I have been looking for black wedged gladiators for the longest time. A couple of stores around the city has a few, but they were always at least $30, and you know that that would be way over my usual $20 per item limit. After looking for it for over a month and nearly gave in into buying a pair online from Forever21, I ran into these at Marshall's this weekend while suit shopping with my dad! At first, I didn't want to even pick it up because I thought it would be at least $40 since it's by Guess. Lo and behold, $20! What a steal! My mom thought I was nuts because I started hyperventilating. I was not only ecstatic about the price or the uniqueness of the lacing, but mainly about how comfortable it was. The shoes were extremely light and since it's wedged, there was less pressure on my foot.

Because this is a bargain-eccentric blog, I've decided to share some of my special shopping secrets to help you find exactly what you're looking for at a great price.

Set a budget about how much you're willing to spend on that particular item. One of the best ways to guilt yourself is by calculating how much it's worth to you. For example, my $20 shoes is worth 2.5 hours of my work time. Is it worth it? I think it's fair.

think of the discount. If the item is usually $50 but now $10 it's a steal, but if it's only a 25% discount and the item is already pricey, you might want to wait for another sale.

Don't force a fit. If an item isn't available in your size anymore don't try to settle

Go thrifting! Look for items that have potential for easy adjustments and alterations to make it look like it's designed for you

Dept stores like Marshal's and TJ Maxx has great cheap designer stuff for an amazing price

Hit smaller boutiques around town. They usually have the best steals

Check quality for holes, tears, stains. Just because it's marked down shouldn't mean that you should pay for a defected item

Look for similar items online first and do price and style comparisons

Find coupons online before you hit the stores. Some stores have special shipping deals or discount coupons around certain holidays so just search around first.

Have a lot of patience. It's not like it's the end of the world if you don't have the item at this minute. If you just wait, do a little digging around different stores, and with a little luck, you'll always win with great savings and a wonderful item.